


Home!

by WolfjawsWriter



Series: Dogwood and Co. [1]
Category: Lockwood & Co. - Jonathan Stroud
Genre: Dog! Lockwood, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 06:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15261393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfjawsWriter/pseuds/WolfjawsWriter
Summary: Home is where your dog is.-----------Chapters are not in chronological order.





	Home!

George and I were almost ready to start our own ghost-hunting agency. DEPRAC would soon enough give us our certification; they had approved our selected location, 35 Portland Row, ratified our skills and reviewed our training. We were only missing one thing: a fully haunting-trained dog. This days, any company who didn’t owned at least one dog was not trusted as a fully certificated agency, so it was priority that we got one.  
  
We had agreed that today was the day we would go to the Agency Dogs Adoption Center, aka ADAC.   
  
“Ready to have an over-energetic, noisy, stinky and furry parasite at home?” George asked me before we entered the building.  
  
“As I’ll ever be” The inside of the shop smelled like pet food and disinfectant. The front part was full of displays of collars, clothing, beds and toys for dogs, all of various types, shapes, colors and size: dog mannequins in photo-like poses displayed sweaters and boots, images on the food bags showing all breeds of dogs, different houses and beds, all the toys in their racks. To the side the canine care-taking area and the bathing and grooming section where many guys in aprons stood washing the furry messes.  
  
“Welcome to the Agency Dogs Adoption Center, are you here to select a dog?” A very freckly guy asked us behind the counter, his name tag perched on the chest of his sweater, reading Flint.  
  
“Yes, we are” George said.  
  
“The dogs are at the back, after the treats displays. Just call someone if you find one of your liking” We nodded thanks and walked down the aisles of fur shampoos and soaps, leashes and other things, making a small list of in my head of what we already had at home and what we’d need.  
  
 _‘BORK BORK BORK’_  
  
At last, we walked to the dog area, where many glasses showed the dogs in their enclosures. When they noticed us, they immediately got up from their beds and started barking and running around their cages, some even playing with their toys. There were of all breedings, except those that were booked by the bigger agencies; it was a generally accepted rule that when a breed became representative, no other company could use it.  
All the dogs had been properly trained for hauntings; their evaluations were hung beside their cages. They had all been tested on the three Talents; Sight, Listening and Touch, and like humans, they were all differently skilled in each Talent. We agents didn’t chose a dog because of how cute they are, but because of their ability.  
  
 _‘BORK BORK BORK’  
_  
“What about this one?” George said, pointing to a little brown Pomeranian. It barked in a high-pitched sound, tiny nails clicking inside the cage as it moved about. I looked from the dog to its file beside the glass; its name was Robin, it was male, had average Sight, average Listening and no Touch. Completed his training a few weeks ago with decent scores.  
  
 _‘BORK BORK BORK’  
_  
“No” I mused “Look at his evaluation, too average”  
  
“I guess you’re right. Or this one?” A beagle, name of Rose. Female. No Sight, good Listening, average Touch. Just good enough scores on her evaluation. Also no.   
We kept looking around the cages and reading the evaluations, but none of this dogs seemed to be what we were looking for.  
  
 _‘BORK BORK’_  
  
I looked away from the files I was currently reading as a deeper barking came to my ears. A black dog stood in a few cages away, looking at me through the glass, dancing around its cage and barking. It stopped occasionally to make sure I was watching, then resumed its circle-dance. I walked closer to the cage, the dog’s tail wagging happily. It was quite big, the head at my shoulders heigh, its fur very fluffy and with big brown eyes.  
  
 _‘BORK BORK!’_  
  
I smiled at the dog, then looked at its documents. Its name was Lockwood, and it was male. Great Sight, no Listening, and little Touch. Outstanding notes in his evaluation. I looked at him once more, and this time, he was sitting at the far end of its cage, looking at me like he knew what I was doing and waiting for my reaction.  
  
“Hey, George! Come, I think I found our dog!” He walked over from where he was reading the file of a little Bichon Frise, who let me tell you, had terrible scores on its documents.  
  
“Nope” He said with only one look “We are not taking that home”  
  
“What?” I exclaimed “Why not?”  
  
“Lucy, that thing is enormous” He pointed at Lockwood, his hand signaling him entirely “And will probably keep growing some more” I took his arm and squeezed it.  
  
“Come on, George, look at his evaluation!” My hand flew to the documents and pushed him towards them “They are immaculate, George, he is the kind of dog we are looking for!” George took off his glasses and cleaned them on his jumper irritably, then placed them back and read the file “You know we are not going to find another dog in any other ADAC with an evaluation this good”  
  
“He will crush us one day, Luce, mark my words” George grumbled “Besides, you only want us to take him because his cute”  
  
“So what if his cute, that’s not why I want him” I exclaimed “Please, George! And I’ll buy you one- no, two boxes of your favorite donuts!” He turned to looked me, an eyebrow raised in silent pondering “24 donuts each” We stared at each other for a few moments, before-  
  
“We’ll be taking this one” He said to the worker that had been standing near. The guy immediately nodded and went inside the door to where the dogs were taken out.  
  
“You know you’re the best George?” I said sweetly.  
  
“I want those donuts” He remarked.  
  
“I’ll buy them when we pass by Arif’s store” The guy came back from the back of the Center with the enormous black dog in a chest leash and a couple of his things in his arms. The dog was jumping and walking excitedly, barking at this and that, until he saw us. Immediately, it ran from the worker and towards us, jumping to our arms.  
  
“I told you!” George yelled as we were both bathed in saliva by the dog’s tongue “Ok, ok, kiss her, you damn flea-bag!” He pushed the dog’s head towards me, and my face was covered in more saliva.  
  
“Alright, alright” I pushed him softly “I get it, you’re happy”  
  
“He is a great choice” The worker said “Got great scores on his tests”  
  
“Yes, yes, just give me the papers so I can sign them” George said, making the guy take him to the counter. I went behind them, our new horse of a dog trailing blissfully with me, liking my hand and jumping around. George gave the guy our information so they could imprint it in a plate for the collar.  
  
“Here you go, now just sign this papers and he’ll be all yours” George gave me the leather collar and turned once more so he could take care of the papers. I knelt down, careful not to step on the dog’s paws and held him still.  
  
“Sit, I have to put this on” At my command, he sat and looked away while my hands worked on his neck, fastening the collar around it. The plate, made of silver, read:  
  
 _Lockwood  
35 Portland Row, Marylebone  
Agency Dog_  
  
Plus our phone number.  
  
“Lockwood” I whispered. He immediately looked back at me, his big brown eyes focusing on mine. He might be a dog, but I swear I could see real love in those eyes. It made me smile “I think you’ll like it with us. What you say we take you home?”  
  
 _‘BORK!’_


End file.
